9.1.1 Be

Many languages have general words that indicate some kind of state. These general words may be used with a wide variety of specific meanings. For instance in English the word 'be' may be used to identify something, describe something, and many other ideas.

Louw Nida Codes: 
13A State
  • What words refer to something being something?
    be, represent, amount to, form, make, constitute
  • What words indicate that something is being identified?
    is
  • What words indicate that a group of things is something?
    make up, form, constitute, add up to,

    • 9.1.1.1 Exist

    Use this domain for words indicating that something exists.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    13C Exist
  • What words are used to indicate that something exists?
    exist, existence, there is, there exists, there lives, be, be found, occur, be in existence, be in operation, real,
  • What words refer to something starting to exist?
    appear, arise, coalesce, come into being, come into existence, come to be, develop, emerge, form, materialize, spring up, take shape
  • What words refer to continuing to exist?
    remain, persist, persistence, survive, survival, survivor,
  • What words refer to something ceasing to exist?
    become extinct, extinction, die out, disappear, vanish, cease to exist, disappearance, disintegrate, disintegration, fade, loss,
  • What words refer to not existing?
    non-existent, extinct, there's no, there's no such thing,

    • 9.1.1.2 Become, change state

    Many languages have general words that indicate some kind of change of state. These general words may be used with a wide variety of specific meanings. For instance in English the word 'become' may be used to a change in identity, a change in characteristic, a change in nature, and many other ideas.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    13B Change of State
  • What words are used to indicate a change of state?
    become (characteristic), change, come to be, turn, get, develop, grow into, turn into, change into, become different, evolve
  • What words are used of causing or producing a state?
    produce, cause to be, make to be, make, make into, result in, bring upon, bring about
  • What words are used of attaining a state?
    come to be, attain, achieve, reach

    • 9.1.1.3 Have, of

    Many languages have several general words that are used to indicate a variety of relationships between two things. There are three such words in English:
    "have," "of," and the possessive suffix "-'s." The basic meaning of these words in English is 'to own', but they can mean many other things too. For instance they can mean that I am related to someone (I have a brother), something has a part (birds have wings), and many other ideas. There is also a set of pronouns in English that are like nouns ending in -'s (my/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, its, our/ours, their/theirs, whose). Use this domain for these general words.

    Related domains: 
    6.8.1.1 Own, possess
  • What general words relate two nouns?
    have, of, -'s

    • 9.1.1.4 Attribution

    Attributes often belong to a class of attributes (shape = straight, curved) or to a scale (length = long, short). The class or scale can sometimes be included in the expression, but does not mark the proposition itself. (The towel <feels> damp. The box <weighs> five kilos.)

  • What words are used to indicate an attribute of something?
    found to be, discover to be, turn out to be, be in many ways
  • What words indicate a point on a scale?
  • What words indicate an evaluation of something?